Gas and Bloating – Indigestion


Every single one of you has experienced gas and / or bloating at one point or another. However, if you are reading this, its probably more common and severe.

You are not alone, go to every single isle in a health food store / drug mart and so many things are on the shelf waiting for you to pick it up – anything from heart burn medications to probiotics to enzymes. The question is, what is the cause of your gas / bloating / indigestion?

Please don’t believe it when they throw the IBS term at you without any further proper investigation. Don’t worry, we can get to the bottom of this.

gas and bloating due to indigestion

Diagnosis

Are you feeling heavy after a meal? some meals give you more gas than others?

Some other key symptoms that may be present and totally overlooked:

  • Mild burning after eating
  • Acid reflux/ GERD like symptoms
  • Nausea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Constipation / diarrhea or both
  • Mucus in stool
  • Blood in stool
  • Fatigue/ sluggish feeling / heaviness
  • Belching
  • Regurgitation of food
  • Slow digestion
  • Brain fog
  • Joint pain
  • Reduced appetite / hunger

So many more symptoms associated with gas and bloating / indigestion, but we can figure out together what symptoms are related and what symptoms are not.


Why are you so bloated?

To answer that question, you need a very curious Naturopathic Doctor. We cover everything, and by everything, we mean every single system. While ruling out more potential harmful conditions, most gas and bloating symptoms are attributed to indigestion / digestive dysfunction and hormonal imbalances.

Some of the causes of bloating:

  • Low stomach acid
  • Food intolerances / sensitivities
  • Dysbiosis – a very broad word. Read more on Candida, and SIBO
  • Leaky gut
  • Inflammation
  • Sluggish bowels
  • Thyroid disorders

Are you a female? There are other imbalances that can be contributing to your bloating:

Estrogen dominance (excess estrogen) – water retention, heavy bleeding during period, PMS, mood swings and clotting. If you have excess estrogen some of your bloating is likely attributed to your cycle. Estrogen dominance isn’t only present in excess estrogen, the symptoms also present with low progesterone. Are you experiencing any of that? Let’s sit down and talk about your hormones, but also, let’s dig deeper into your gut health. Keep in mind, to rule out more serious hormonal bloating conditions such as ovarian and uterine cysts, fibroids, cancer etc., a pelvic ultrasound would be a good start.

Testing may be offered depending on the approach of root cause – is it SIBO? Candida? Dybiosis? Parasites? Food intolerances? We will dig through it together and eliminate it one by one.


Gas and Bloating Treatment

Dr. Tali thrives to take an evidence based approach for your gas and bloating solution. Treatment will vary depending on your underlined cause. Each treatment is tailored to your body, your symptoms and your needs. Addressing the root cause is a must, however, this is also an area where many of you ask for some immediate relief. We can do that! We will sit together and figure it out. It’s important for you to get someone who is a licensed and regulated health care professional, in order to diagnose properly as well as offer an evidence based approach while taking into consideration your medical health history and medication use and interactions.